Crevice Corrosion Engineering Guide

This program is designed to help engineers select an appropriate stainless steel for use in equipment that comes into contact with water, especially those waters that contain chlorides. Using the program, you can assess the corrosion resistance of seven different nickel-containing stainless steels under various water conditions. Seven stainless steels can be evaluated: five austenitic (S30400, S31600, S31700, N08904 and 6% Mo) and two duplex stainless steels (S31803 and S32205).

For water quality, you can specify the magnitude of eight parameters: chloride content, temperature, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, sulphate content, pH, hardness, and oxygen levels. In addition, you can specify the severity of the crevices in your equipment and how critical it is that no corrosion occur in the stainless steel component under consideration.

Results: Using the parameters that you specify, the program calculates the likelihood of corrosion occuring. Three types of reports are generated: a text-based report stating how long it will take for corrosion to occur; a graph showing the effect that the severity of crevices has on corrosion performance; and a chart showing how a material will perform in a range of waters.

Details on how the program makes these predictions and the range of waters covered are available under "About" (visible after you start the program).

Disclaimer: The material presented in this program was prepared for the general information of the user and should not be used or relied on for specific applications, without first securing competent advice. The Nickel Institute, its members, staff and consultants do not represent or warrant its suitability for any general or specific use and assure no liability or responsibility of any kind in connection with the information herein.

Credit: The mathematical models in the program were developed by John Oldfield and the software was developed by Peter Howden, consultants to the Nickel Institute.